A Look Inside of the December Issue of Kovels Antique Trader

The December issue of Kovels Antique Trader takes you on a sentimental journey, celebrating 50 years of Hallmark Keepsake ornaments. Since 1973, Hallmark Keepsake ornaments have provided a visual representation of the things we treasure in life, immortalized each holiday season on a tree or tabletop. Through the years, the ornaments have been popular with collectors and non-collectors alike.

Long before Hallmark entered the ornament business, however, another ornament company dominated the holiday season. Shiny Brite produced the most popular Christmas tree ornaments in the US. throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Coated with a wistful affection for the past, vintage Shiny Brite ornaments remain popular with collectors and fans of Mid-Century design. You’ll see why in the December issue of Kovels Antique Trader.

If you enjoy stepping out for the holidays or simply dressing up for gatherings at home, you’ll enjoy reading Pamela Wiggins Siegel’s story on festive costume jewelry from Bettina von Walhof. You’ll also have fun as writer Wayne Jordan takes you to historic Williamsburg, Virginia, for an antiquing adventure in search of last-minute presents in this charming town nestled in the heart of coastal Virginia.

What would the holidays be without toys? We wouldn’t know because we have them in this issue. Mattel’s inaugural run of 16 Hot Wheels cars set the toy market on fire in 1968, revolutionizing the die-cast car industry. We profile what collectors lovingly refer to as “The Sweet Sixteen.” Also from Mattel, we feature a story on Liddle Kiddles, tiny dolls produced from 1966 to 1971 that still bring big fun and big prices.

The December issue also features Sales Reports on Breweriana, Meissen, and the art of Thomas Hart Benton, as well as the Dictionary of Marks and Collector’s Gallery. In addition, Editor Paul Kennedy shares a first-person tale of how the power of Christmas music saved the day for a choir of off-key angels.

This, and a whole lot more, can be found in the December issue of Kovels Antique Trader.

Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles Vol. 48 No. 4 – December 2021

Christmas Postcards … Meissen Porcelain … Bakelite Jewelry … Old Storage Cupboards …  Mechanical Pictures … Cool Mid-Century Design of Everyday Items … Marks on Dolls … Collector’s Gallery … Prices    

The Changing Image of Santa

Did you know Santa Claus wasn’t always so fat and jolly? He lost weight in 1931 when the Coca-Cola company decided a friendlier Santa would be better. They hired Haddon Sundblom to create a new Santa image. He was inspired by the 1822 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” but changed him from an elf to a large, plump, smiling man with a long white beard. Vintage Santas can still be found with blue or green suits and straggly brown beards, but a new Santa in the U.S. is a pudgy, smiling man in a red suit.

 

 

 

“Old” Toys for Christmas

Old toys are back for Christmas. They are similar, but different enough to be recognized as new. Don’t be fooled. Parents might want to extend their collections; kids just think they are familiar and are made for 2020. But nostaligia sells the toys to parents with the box label, not the toy. Look for this year’s Barbie (60 years old) in one of the six of her more than 200 careers that include astronaut and political candidate. She is no longer just a blond; the dolls are available with several choices of skin and hair colors, but with the old face and hairdo. Also updated are Sesame Street characters such as a larger, softer, Elmo (50 years). New toys are based on Little Mermaid’s (30 years) sisters, Sponge Bob (20 years) with colorful slime shot from a catapult, and curvier, more colorful Star Wars (42 years) sets. And there are, as always, new versions of Mickey Mouse and Toy Story characters.

 

Other Holidays

One can never tire of Christmas and Valentine’s Day, but there are other holidays, each inspiring its own range of collectibles. Today collectors look for collectibles from Halloween (candy holders, costumes, masks, decorations, jack-o-lanterns) and Easter (eggs, papier-mâché bunnies, candy containers), as well as Thanksgiving decorations, Fourth of July postcards, and hundreds of other holiday-related […]